Object-Oriented Programming Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the Object-Oriented Programming lecture notes.

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

A programming paradigm based on the concept of 'objects', which can contain data and code that manipulates that data.

Class

A blueprint for creating objects, defining fields (attributes) and methods (functions) that those objects will possess.

Inheritance

A mechanism where a new class can derive attributes and methods from an existing class.

Encapsulation

The bundling of data and the methods that operate on that data within a class, restricting access to some of the object's components.

Abstraction

The concept of hiding complex implementation details and showing only the necessary features of an object.

Polymorphism

The ability of different classes to be treated as instances of the same class through a common interface.

Constructor

A special method used to initialize objects when they are created.

Abstract Base Class (ABC)

A class that cannot be instantiated and typically provides a common interface for derived classes.

Shallow Copy

A copy of an object that creates references to the original object's elements, thus allowing changes to the original to be reflected in the copy.

Deep Copy

A copy of an object that creates a new instance of all elements and sub-objects, allowing changes to the original to not affect the copy.

Dynamic Dispatch

A runtime method to determine which method to call based on the object's type.

Modularity

The division of a software system into separate components or modules, making it easier to manage.

Design Pattern

A general repeatable solution to a commonly occurring problem in software design.

Operator Overloading

The ability to redefine the behavior of operators for user-defined types.

Namespace

A container that holds a set of identifiers (names) and ensures that all of them are unique within that container.

Instance Variable

A variable that is bound to the instance of a class, holding data unique to that instance.

Class Variable

A variable that is shared among all instances of a class.

Method

A function that is defined inside a class and is associated with the objects of that class.